Electronically controlled detonators are well known in the art. Such detonators usually consist of one or more explosive charges and a miniature electronic fuse which can be either heat-producing or shock wave-producing.
These type of electronic detonators have a disadvantage in that the interfacing of miniature electronic fuses and explosive devices is a difficult operation to perform accurately, and can result in the production of batches of detonators with significantly differing operating characteristics. This is undesirable since detonators having inconsistent characteristics can be dangerous.
The standard method of assemblying a detonator is to load the secondary charge down a blind tubular casing, followed by a primary charge and the initiating charge. This means that the most dangerous charge is present during assembly of the detonator.